September 2009

Want to go green? Quit cutting down all the trees. Why waste a 40 to 100 year old tree when bamboo can provide one of the hardest building materials there is and grows an average of 50 centimeters a day? Indeed, bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant in the world. Some species can grow as much as 121 centimeters in a 24-hour time period.

When designing a landscape or space, nothing instantly livens an area with essences of color, texture and vitality like plants do. There is a common misconception among many that plants need only water and light to survive, which depending on the plant, is quite far from the truth. Just as with any other home project, gardening and tending to plants propose time, care, and technical obstacles that can make the task seem difficult. Climate, nutrients, amounts of sunlight and types of water are all variables that contribute to the well being of a plant.

With any event, food is generally the main staple ingredient to spicing up festivities, a good time and bringing people together. In our last entry we gave you ideas for what to do this coming Labor Day. To compliment that, here are some fantastic food ideas to help transform your typical Labor Day BBQ into that tropical island getaway for you and your guests.